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Myth 1: Seals only forage at night. Fact: Seals feed both during the day and at night, although this varies depending on age and sex class. Monk seals as a whole do not appear to prefer feeding at specific times of the day. This misperception is derived from dietary and behavioral observations. Monk seal diet

Most Hawaiian monk seals have unique natural markings, such as scars or natural bleach marks, that help identify individual seals. Many seals have identifiers such as flipper tags or letters and numbers applied to the animal’s fur with bleach. Example of a Hawaiian monk seal with a natural round bleach mark on its right

The Hawaiian monk seal is an endangered marine mammal that inhabits, and is endemic to, the Hawaiian Islands. Despite decade’s long multi-disciplinary research and recovery tactics, the future survival of this species is still tenuous with only approximately 1,400 individuals remaining at the end of 2016. The species is divided into two primary sub-populations. One

Hawaiian monk seals are “generalist” feeders, which means they eat a variety of foods depending on what’s available. They eat many types of common fishes, squid, octopus, eels and crustaceans (crabs, shrimp and lobster). Diet studies indicate that they prefer prey that is easier to catch than most of the locally popular game fish (e.g.

In partnership with Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA), we’re pleased to announce completion of our Hawaii Marine Stewards Program (HMAS) training by many of Oahu’s forward-thinking organizations listed below. These organizations know the importance of sustainable commercial operations and how critical it is to support Hawaii’s protected marine species. They have joined our growing list

Mahalo

We thank the following people and organizations for providing some of the photographs and content on our website: Matt Chauvin, Melanie Chun, Diane Gabriel, Larry Hogan / Island Divers Hawaii, Carola Johnston, NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service and Hawaii DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources.